Charging Systems for Boat Batteries

[rippnlips]

I need to get a new on board charger for my boat and I am looking into one of the pro series that runs off of your alternator and also has an A/C connection to extend running time.

Has anyone used these? If so is there a brand you prefer
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[fairwayphilly]

I'm a new boat owner, but the boat I bought had an onboard charger so I had to learn up on it a little. Here is what I have surmised so far. An on board charger, even one hooked to the main alternator is not a repacement for charging the batteries. In most cases it will extent the life of the charge by about 30%. The main engine just doesn't run long enough to handle the bulk of the charging duties. The real advantage to an onboard is the ability to simply plug the boat in when you get home and have all of your batteries charge worry free at once. My boat has three batteries and can sometimes take 24 hours to charge, especially if I've been running the electric motor all day. My starting battery is amost always charged when I plug it in.
I've got a minnkota brand and don't know anything about any other brands to tell you which is better or worse than the other, but so far mine has been worry free. I always plug the boat in for one day after I get off the water and my batteries are always ready to go when I hit the lake next.
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[rippnlips]

I just bought the Minn Kota charger tonight. I got just a regular 10 amp on board charger. I was going to buy the Extreme Pro Series with an alternator wire for extra charging, but I got a smokin deal on this one, so I couldn't pass it up.

Minn Kota has an alternator charging system with 3 feeder lines to help maintain a charge on the water. I have no idea what the cost is? I would guess around 150.00

Normally it's not that big of a deal, but when you are shore camping at Powell you need all the juice you can get and I hate packing a generator []


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